Finn Jones, the star of Netflix’s series “Iron Fist,” has responded to the backlash the Marvel series has garnered thus far.

Ahead of the series’ release onto the streaming service on March 17, Marvel has been criticized for its casting of a white man becoming the greatest champion of martial arts, and previously faced pressure to cast an Asian-American actor as the Iron First.

In an interview with Vulture,Jones was asked what his thoughts were regarding critics’ claim that “Iron Fist” was a racist story about a “white savior who learns Asian martial arts.” In response, Jones replied: “There’s so much outrage in the internet these days, right? Why don’t people just — look, the issue is that people are judging before they’ve even seen the show. And that’s problematic. C’mon. Don’t get angry and start a mob when you don’t even — you haven’t even seen the show! You don’t even know what we’re doing with it. It’s unjust. It’s unfair. ” he said.

He continued by acknowledging the need for more diversity in both the media and in general, but also urged people to watch the show before making judgments.

Related

“I get it. There needs to be more diversity in film and television, in all f—g aspects of life. There needs to be more diversity, period. Unfortunately, this show was picked, for whatever reason. I don’t fully understand, really, but what I say is, Watch the show. Watch the show, then make your opinions,” he added. “Also, c’mon, let’s get angry at the real f—ing injustices in the world, yeah? The real problems in the world,” he later went on. “Not just in television. There’s some real s— happening in the world right now that people need to get angry about.”

The character of Danny Rand, who becomes the Iron Fist, has been portrayed as a white male since the “Iron Fist'”comics debuted in the 1970’s, during the climax of the American Kung-Fu craze. Nonetheless, there has been commentary that casting Rand’s character as white would ignore the criticism Marvel has received in the past for its relatively uniform group of headlining superheroes.

Before Jones was cast, fans started a widely circulated petition asking Marvel to cast an Asian-American in the series. Marvel executives didn’t heed the advice, but they’ve stuck by their decision, having called the “Game of Thrones” veteran the “perfect choice” for the role.

Sign Up for Daily Insider Newsletter

Writer, director and producer Drew Goddard has signed an exclusive, multiyear overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, under which he will write, create, direct and develop new TV series for the studio across all platforms. Goddard’s deal, announced by Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment chairman Dana Walden, is the first to close since [...]

It’s tape night on the set of “Abby’s,” located behind one of the homes built on the fabled Universal Studios backlot. As the night falls and a chill sweeps in, the NBC comedy’s producers are facing the kinds of obstacles that no other multi-camera sitcom has likely ever confronted. Out come the dewdrops, crickets, helicopters, [...]

“Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke revealed that she suffered from two brain aneurysms that nearly took her life in the early years of the blockbuster HBO series. Clarke spoke about her health scare for the first time in a personal essay published in the New Yorker on Thursday morning. Just before she assumed her [...]

Comcast said it would unveil “Flex,” a hub for its Internet-only customers that allows them to stream and purchase shows and movies, the latest effort by a traditional cable provider to latch on to customers who are migrating to broadband services, The Philadelphia cable giant will also make free, ad-supported services available via the service, [...]

Fourteen-year-old skateboarding star and two-time world champ Brighton Zeuner will be the focus of a feature documentary by Imagine Documentaries and Zero Point Zero, Variety has learned exclusively. Described as a coming-of-age story, the film will document Zeuner’s childhood, personal and professional relationships, and road to earning a spot as a member of the 2020 [...]

The iconic red-caped, white-bonneted outfits worn by Elisabeth Moss and the other childbearing servants in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” created by costume designer Ane Crabtree, have become that show’s signature visual. Hulu immediately knew it had a good thing, hiring groups of women around the country to parade in the garments to promote the show. [...]

Netflix global marketing chief Stephen Bruno has exited his post for MGM, where he has been named chief marketing officer. His departure follows that of Netflix CMO Kelly Bennett and marks a major shake-up for the streaming giant. Bruno had been with the streamer since 2014, and is known as an innovator. He joins MGM [...]